autobiographical
Americanadjective
adjective
-
of or concerned with one's own life
-
of or relating to an autobiography
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of autobiographical
First recorded in 1820–30; auto- 1 + biographical
Explanation
Anything autobiographical is all about you. If you tell your new class an autobiographical story, it's a true tale of your real life. An autobiography is a person's life story, and things that have to do with that life story can be described as autobiographical. The autobiographical details in your grandmother's collection of photo albums might be your favorite parts, brief but fascinating glimpses into her life. And if you love autobiographical writing, you're a fan of memoirs. This word comes from auto-, "self," and the Greek biographia, "description of life."
Vocabulary lists containing autobiographical
Words with 15 or More Letters, List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Additional Literary Terms (Unit 1)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: auto
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
From those experiences comes this partly autobiographical novel that follows a year in the life of a sports-magazine columnist, Jim Tom Pinch.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
"I was an apparition for most of my youth," she sings on Now, the autobiographical opening track of her 2023 album Good Thing We Stayed.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
The city was the one-time home of Augustine, whose autobiographical "Confessions" is a seminal work within the Christian tradition.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
In Sondheim’s body of work, Okrent searches for the autobiographical resonances that Sondheim himself mostly disdained.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026
Shortly after I published my first autobiographical essay seven years ago, my mother wrote me a letter pleading with me never again to write about our family life.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
